Scientists have described the first dinosaur found in Antarctica

The discovery was made back in 1985 during a British Antarctic Survey expedition to James Ross Island off the Antarctic Peninsula. But it is only now that palaeontologists have studied the specimen in detail and confirmed that it is the first dinosaur bone ever collected in Antarctica, although it was not identified as belonging to a dinosaur until decades later.

The study has been published in the journal *Acta Palaeontologica Polonica*.

The scientists have not named the dinosaur species: the bone is too fragmentary, so they have cautiously identified it as the remains of a member of the titanosaur group.

What the scientists found

This is not a complete skeleton, nor is it a new species, but a single tail vertebra. But for Antarctica, even such a find is of great significance: dinosaur fossils are extremely rare there, as most of the continent is covered in ice, and geological work can only be carried out in isolated exposed areas.

The vertebra was found on James Ross Island in the rocks of the Santa Marta Formation. These strata date from the Late Cretaceous period. The article provides a radiometric date for nearby strata – approximately 82.6 million years – which confirms the Early Campanian age of the find.

Initially, the bone was mistaken for the remains of a large reptile. Later, palaeontologist Mark Evans noticed the specimen in the British Antarctic Survey’s collection and suggested that it might be a dinosaur. After comparing it with other finds, the researchers confirmed that the bone belonged to a titanosaur.

Why this discovery has only just been made

In the field conditions of Antarctica, it is difficult to identify a bone fragment. The 1985 expedition mainly studied geological strata and collected marine fossils, which help to date rock formations. This vertebra was found amongst such specimens.

The specimen remained in the collection for decades. Its significance only became clear following a re-examination. According to Paul Barrett of the Natural History Museum in London, this bone may seem unremarkable at first glance, but it occupies an important place in the history of Antarctic palaeontology.

What was this dinosaur like?

Titanosaurs are a group of long-necked herbivorous dinosaurs. Some of them were giants weighing tens of tonnes. However, judging by the size of the vertebra, the Antarctic specimen was small for its group. Its length is estimated at approximately 6–7 metres.

Scientists do not know whether this was a young dinosaur or a representative of a smaller titanosaur form. The article explicitly states that the small size may reflect either the immaturity of the individual or the genuinely small size of an adult animal.

Most likely, after its death, the dinosaur’s body was carried out to sea. The bone was found in marine sediments, so the researchers suggest that the remains drifted from the shore, sank to the seabed and fossilised there.

Antarctica was very different back then

Today, Antarctica is associated with glaciers, freezing temperatures and wind. But around 82 million years ago, this part of the Earth looked very different. During the Late Cretaceous period, the Antarctic region was much warmer and may have been covered in dense forests.

Researchers point out that the Santa Marta Formation contains not only marine invertebrates but also fossilised wood. Data on plants from nearby strata suggest a warm, humid climate with rainfall comparable to that of modern tropical forests.

This is precisely why the Antarctic dinosaur did not live in an icy desert. It inhabited a world with forests, plants and sufficient food for large herbivores.

Why the discovery is important

Antarctica remains the continent with the scantest record of dinosaur remains. The scientific paper notes that the Mesozoic dinosaur record in Antarctica is very sparse, and sauropods are particularly rare there. This vertebra is only the second known sauropod fossil from Antarctica, but it was the first dinosaur bone ever recovered on the continent.

The discovery helps us understand how titanosaurs spread across the southern continents. During the Cretaceous period, Antarctica was part of the ancient southern continental system of Gondwana, connected to South America, Australia and other regions. The presence of a titanosaur in Antarctica is important for reconstructing these ancient dispersal routes.

Background

Prior to this study, dinosaurs from Antarctica were known only from very rare finds in a few areas, including the Transantarctic Mountains and the Antarctic Peninsula region. James Ross Island had already yielded important fossils, but this particular specimen proved especially significant due to the date of its collection — 1985.

The fact that the bone lay in the collection for almost 40 years before being correctly identified also highlights the important role of museum collections. Sometimes a scientific discovery does not require a new expedition: it is enough to take a fresh look at material that has already been collected, armed with new knowledge and technology.

Source

Study: Paul M. Barrett, Philip D. Mannion, Samantha L. Beeston, Matthew C. Lamanna, Brett Clark, Alejandro Otero, José P. O’Gorman and Mark Evans — “A titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Antarctica”, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 2026.